Imagine if we could see how long everyone around us had left to live. But we weren’t allowed to know our own numbers…

Trying to make sense of life after the death of her beloved father, free spirit Matilda Evans meets Tristan Isaacs and discovers a marrow-deep connection with him.

No stranger to grief himself, lonely artist Tristan is in awe of Matilda’s fun and philosophical approach to life. With every second spent in her presence, he finds his views on life and loss changing, and begins to embrace the beauty of being alive.

As their friendship turns into something deeper, lessons are learned, memories are made, and legacies are created.

But with both of them knowing how long their soulmate has left in this lifetime, important questions have to be asked and tough decisions have to be made before time runs out.

The Counting-Downers is an inspiring story about life, loss, love, and making the most of every moment.

And suddenly, I realize that all those books and movies had gotten it wrong.

When you find your souls reflection in another, you shouldn’t be aware of anything other than their body, yours, and the space between.

You shouldn’t be looking for someone whose kiss causes you to escape reality by transporting you to another time and place. Look for the person whose kiss grounds you firmly in the moment, whose arms hold you safely in the now.

When your lips lock with your destiny, you should be aware of every prickle on your skin that rises to greet them, every strand of their hair that caresses your fingers, every gasp of air that reaches your ears.

Most of us kiss with our eyes closed. But that’s not always a good thing. It depends why they’re shut.

If you asked most people to imagine themselves in a situation, the first thing they would do is close their eyes.

You should kiss with your eyes closed to heighten your other senses and block out everything but the now, not to escape to somewhere else.

Reality should be better than your imagination.

Because when it’s right, like this is right, you won’t have to use your imagination at all.

A.J. Compton is a 23 year-old Londoner, professional dreamer, and full time over-thinker. A big believer in going after your dreams, she decided to practice what she preaches and finally finish one of the many incomplete manuscripts she’s started over the years.

A University of Cambridge graduate, A.J. is currently in a polygamous relationship with an embarrassing number of book boyfriends.

Those two facts are not related. Honestly.

She loves people-watching and exploring her observations in her writing.